Florence Ramsey Vosburg

Early in her married life, Florence Vosburg of Fort Atkinson began making suits for her young son. These handmade creations caught the eye of her friends, who asked her to make some for their children. Before Florence realized it, she was making extra garments to sell.

The Smith sisters who ran R. C. Brewer’s, recognized her talents and began selling her garments on consignment. A small home based business was started and before long, she hired other women to work from their homes. These women did a specialized job on each garment after Florence did the cutting. Even the Vosburg boys got into the act, transporting the clothes from one worker to the next.

Mothers brought their children to Florence to have the clothes custom fitted. Her small business grew until she branched out to include consignments in Milwaukee and Chicago for more than 40 years.

This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 08/14/2006.